It has been over a month since China imposed a lockdown on Wuhan (and the rest of the Hubei province) in an attempt to quarantine the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. With this lockdown enforced, people who have traveled out of the city cannot get back in. The city is completely sealed off, and residents can only leave their homes once every three days. The mayor of Wuhan stated that there were around 5 million people who had left the city before the quarantine. As many of these people are pet owners, at least 30,000 pets have been left alone in their homes without food and proper care. This growing problem has led to many volunteers and animal shelters in the area making an effort to rescue these abandoned animals. With animal shelters overcrowding, some volunteers are keeping these unaccompanied pets in their own homes. One volunteer revealed that she is currently holding 35 dogs and 28 cats in her apartment; she fears that she will soon run out of food for the animals, as the lockdown imposes restrictions on people from simply leaving their homes. In addition to this issue of pets being trapped alone inside of homes, some paranoid owners are purposely deserting their pets in fear that they may transmit the virus to them. Currently, there are no cases nor evidence of pets being able to contract or spread the virus. As the situation intensifies, immense community support has been growing. Volunteer groups and animal protection groups have been working around the clock to rescue these animals, but they can only do so much.
Discussion Questions:
1. How can animal rescue groups gain more support/assistance in helping these stranded animals?
2. Do you think that these volunteers could be putting their efforts elsewhere?
3. What are some other issues that can develop from placing an entire province on lockdown without warning?
I think that in order for this issue to be worked out it must first be recognized by the government and by other groups. However, this doesn't seem to be very likely as the government currently has their hands full with trying to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. To me, it seems unlikely that any relief for these volunteers will come from the Chinese government and it will have to come form elsewhere if anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI think that the only real way to help this situation is to make the government and the groups that are trying to help realized that this is a real problem that has no real solution at this time. I feel that if we want anyone to put their efforts towards helping that animals there would have to be a specific group of people who go to the city and focus on the animals themselves. Some issues that can develop when you shut an entire province down is that people don't have time to figure out where they will go or what to do and that can cause stress which these poor people really don't need.
ReplyDeleteTo answer question 3, some other issues may include a shortage of food/necessary resources. In all seriousness, a monopoly could form, due to people gathering large amounts of canned goods in one place. Putting a province on lock-down would also introduce an entire series of problems such as a mental effect, and an effect on productivity, due to most people working at home, or not leaving their house.
ReplyDeleteFor animal rescue groups to gain more support in their efforts to save these animals, there needs to be more publicity on what they are doing. Not many people know about the animal crisis and for it to become more widely supported, more people must know about it. I think that while there are other places these volunteers could be helping out, I think that it is necessary for someone to help these animals and It is good that they are doing it.
ReplyDeleteThat is sad that owners are separated from their beloved pets, but even more sad that some owners are ditching their pets in believe that their pets will transmit the virus to them. Because there are so many pets who were abandoned or separated from their owners, the volunteers are doing a good deed of helping and housing them. One way to fix the over housing is to try to find the owners so the pets are reunited. I also do think another way in the future is to microchip the pets and have the chip able to be scanned for the owner's name and/or id card or paper.
ReplyDeleteI think that sudden lockdowns cause many unanticipated effects, as there are many things we take for granted in our daily life. This is part of what makes these situations difficult to deal with, as people are often unprepared for the problems they will face. Supply shortages are often the biggest issue, though as we have seen through this animal crisis, there are many other effects. It is more difficult to police crime in times like this, especially since crime is encouraged by these shortages, and industries can suffer because employees are locked out or locked in, having larger economic ramifications, leading to things such as the stock market decline we are seeing now.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government should give citizens some kind of warning before going on lockdown so that they could prepare by getting food and supplies. Most people are concerned about their own health and about food shortages, but this animal crisis is also an effect from this health crisis. I think that as more nations are affected by this virus, they should be more prepared and learn from other nation's mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI agree that sudden lock downs can cause people to act irrationally. There should be more warning so people can prepare and make plans. That would also help to avoid the sudden scarcity of resources like toilet paper and people abandoning their pets. Although these things can not be completely avoided, the government should be trying to help its citizens compensate and putting our accurate information.
ReplyDeleteI think that in order to get more support the government needs to publicize the abandoned dog crisis. I think that it is moral for the people to take in pets even if it puts their own lives at risk. Although, it is good that the government is trying to keep their citizens safe, sudden lockdowns can cause lots of stress and unpreparedness.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in order for the volunteers to get more support for their cause they would have to take it to the government and it that doesn't work then they should use advertisements to demonstrate why they are saving these animals in the first place. The animals are also living beings and need the care and support of a human being. I think that these volunteers' efforts could be put somewhere else however, this cause is indeed important to the people who lost their homes due to the virus. Some other issues that can result from putting the city on lockdown is people generally mentally and physically stressed. They have to be cooped up in their homes for a long time. No one knows how long this virus will last without a cure and until then there is not much we can do but hope.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government needs to get into this situation. I think that there needs to be trained pet rescue teams to go out and collect pets that need to be fed and or cared for. I know that the government has a lot to worry about, but this is also a very large problem. These are animals who are considered family to many people and mean so much to them. To ignore the problem feels almost inhumane to me.
ReplyDeletei think that there should be a warning to the citizens before going on lockdown.Because the situation is getting worse over time, people should consider preparing themselves.
ReplyDeleteI think that these volunteers are focusing on a very important issue but they need to raise more awareness to it. Additionally, it's a common pattern that these citizens are going through food and resource shortages. Other problems that could arise include lack of contact with the outside world. All in all, putting an entire province on lockdown without warning is inconvenient and illogical.
ReplyDeleteIt would be hard to get local support based on the situation they are in. I think the best way for animal groups and volunteers to get support would be through the government. It is the governments fault that they haven't done much to care or save the pets. The government should seek national aid from the neighboring countries of China because they have the easiest access. I think that it is to much to ask for if the volunteers are holding an insane amount of pets in a small space. But it is hard for them just to leave the pets there to die. A lot of chaos will start if there was a lockdown without warning. This has already happened, it has affected the economy, the people and the world. It is terrible but the government was acting as quickly as possible in hopes to stop the Virus from further spreading.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's not really the civilians fault of leaving their animals, especially since recently, dogs have been tested positive of the corona viruses. The animal rescue groups are doing the correct thing and they should keep trying, but I think that ultimately, they will run out of money and food for them. It would be hard for the government to provide support especially if they are in a critical condition themselves. However, the owners of the pets should make a better decision regarding their pets instead of just abandoning them. They could send their pets to family or friends in countries without the viruses and have them take care of the pets for a few months. Just leaving them in houses or streets is definitely not the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the civilians, being paranoid, may have ensured or at least increased their safety, because of the fact that animals could be carriers of the virus, and so they could pass it on to humans. While the animal rescue groups are doing a valiant thing, it may just get more people infected, and they could be rescuing people instead of animals trapped in the areas where they have been left for dead. However, there is still some moral blame that must be placed on the shoulders of the owners, as they left their pets there, without food or water, to starve, essentially. If their pet dies, it is their fault.
ReplyDeleteI think that animal support groups should gain more popularity from other countries and organizations through advertising so that they can help animals that have been abandoned. They can do this through asking for help from other groups and other countries. Some problems that might come up from this lockdown could be lack of resources and global paranoia.
ReplyDeleteI think that in order for the welfare of these animals to be preserved, help from external organizations must be provided. It's clear that the volunteers simply don't have the capacity to take care of the thousands of animals that have been stranded. This poses great danger, as the animals can easily get mixed up and may never be reunited with their original owners.
ReplyDeleteThis does highlight some problems with the lock down caused by the crona virus,I think other issues may arrive such as job security or getting paided. I do thing however its good to have volenteers though carring for these animals.
ReplyDeleteThis issue is very sad, although there may be coronavirus disease in pets, it is not as likely to happen. I doubt that the government would help with this issue, since it doesn't seem as important than finding a cure for the virus
ReplyDeleteThe issue is kind of tough. The pets could be infected and the government is not likely to step in and help because they are busy already. The volunteers need to focus on the people first. Economic trouble can come from a shutdown.
ReplyDeleteThere are countless issues that can arise when people are put on lockdown without warning. For one, many people in China have stopped receiving salaries and will struggle to support their families. Those who are seniors in college may lose the opportunity to secure jobs in the near future. These are only some examples of the many problems that can arise, in an addition the displacement of pets.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very weird issue that arises with this outbreak. It is a very real possibility that pets could become infected and could reinfect communities as they are not cared for. And they could also die and create bad smells and bad situations. The bigger situation is how people in China are not getting their salaries and how that could create a blunder in the economy.
ReplyDeleteWhat these volunteers are doing is very noble, and we should never look down upon people that choose to take their time to help others that are in need, even if they are animals; they are living beings with feelings, and they deserve compassion, especially with so many of them being thoughtlessly abandoned by irresponsible, panicked owners. The Chinese government and other citizens should support the efforts of these animal rescue groups and volunteers by providing funding or donations to try to keep their work going. Or, they should offer helping hands themselves. Kindness always goes a long way, especially in dark times like these.
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